By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
In an almost shocking revelation, the NBA is paying just 133.000 euros in order to stream the games of Victor Wembanyama via NBA TV all over the world with the exception of France.
“A sum that seems derisory compared to the budget of the NBA”, underlined Wembanyama’s club, Metropolitans 92, which asked according to the French newspaper “Le Parisien” at least a part of this sum to be given to them and not be distributed to the rest of the French league.
“The League claims to sell the rights for the French championship but if we look closely, the NBA only communicates about Victor”, explains Alain Bouvard, the president of the Mets, at “Le Parisien”. “The League plays with the words. We were not even kept informed of the negotiations. We just want to be respected. We are not the only ones asking the question, it interests other clubs. This is why we made a request to the League’s Steering Committee”.
The latter, meeting on November 4, rejected the request of the club as it was stated in a press release: “The members of the Steering Committee unanimously decided not to redistribute this financial contribution. This sum falls into the common pot of the LNB and part will be redistributed equally to the clubs, under marketing and TV rights, at the end of the season. The signed contract concerns a global transfer of the rights of the competitions to the NBA”.
However, the real story here lies in the price of 133.000 euros for the global streaming rights of a European championship that includes the top NBA prospect in the world and probably the most followed since LeBron.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported some time ago that an anonymous team president told him that drafting the French superstar could add up to $500 million to the value of a franchise.
Still, the rights of his last season before joining the NBA were valued at 133.000 euros, which is a great deal for the NBA, and one more European basketball failure to live up to its true potential.